The Monster in the Mirror
by Kaarl
Summary: You know Valek Ixia. The dark and cold-hearted assassin, master of disguise and death. Feared by all. But how did all that come to be? How did he evolve from a child to the man he is in Poison Study? Well, this is his story. Co-written with Harlequin99. *ON AND OFF HAITUS*
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

_Lying in the __cold__ snow, I stared up at the night sky. It was clear tonight, all the stars __sparkled__ against the __dark night__ sky like __jewels.__ Each tiny star begg__ed__ for attention__ and I wondered who else was staring up at this sky. Seeing the same things I, as I let the coldness seep through my thin shirt and into my body._

_The snow wasn't much different from me. It was cold, alone and pale. Unforgiving. It caused many painful deaths and no one wanted to get too close. _

_The only differences are that snow is white and innocent-looking, and I am dark and conniving. Snow is soft. And I most definitely am not. _

_How I got into this mess? It's a long story – not a particularly pleasant one either. It is not something you want to sit down and read on a summer evening after a hard days work. And it definitely isn't one to tell your children at bed time. Well, not unless you want to give them a life time of nightmares. _

_I guess I'm over exaggerating a little. But then it depends which way you look at it. Most people would say that I'm a cold hearted killer and would kill everyone and anyone that stood in my way, while a few might say I'm simply just misunderstood. _

_My name is Valek Ixia and I'm the master assassin and the most feared man in Ixia. __And you want to know what the worst part is? I didn't ask for any of it. Not for one second.

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_**Well, did you like the beginning?**

**Oh, and be sure to check out our blog at http:/ramblingsoftheundecidedfuture(dot)blogspot(dot)com/. It was just put up so it's a little dead, but it's sure to lighten up a little once you're there (: For the detail, you can have a look on my profile.**

**Also, for those of you who are reading Dark Secrets; I just put up chapter 4, so be sure to check that out, but I need your opinion. I have a poll on my page 'Dark Secrets: Will Valek and Yelena end up together?' Please help me out by going to vote for what the outcome will be. Thank you (:**

**Let us know what you think (:**

**Harlequin & Karl **


	2. Cloudless Moon

**Okay, so we didn't want to keep you waiting too long so we're posting this right away (: And we'll get to work on writing more very soon *nugdes Harlequin***

**This is the first chapter (: Valek is twelve and he may seem out of character for some of you, but this is the story if his evolution. He wasn't always closed in on himself and heartless in appearance. You will find out how it comes to that soon enough.**

**Enjoy (:**

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**CHAPTER 1**

I sat on the white ground, pouting. "This is so unfair, Lucian!" I screamed into the air. I knew he could hear me. "You never let me win."

"That's because you're our baby brother. Letting you win would classify us as good older brothers. And that's a horrible status to have." Ruben pretended to shudder at the thought. I sighed and started getting up. "Hey, where are you going?" he called after me.

"Home," I told him. "You're no fun."

"Now that's no fun, Valek. What are you going to do? Help Mother in the kitchen?" I heard Lucian say. "Come on, live a little."

I turned around. "You're no fun."

"Of course I'm fun," my oldest brother retorted. "You know we're supposed to be helping Father in the business, but we took you out to play instead. How is that not fun?"

"You don't know how to play," I muttered. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Then why don't you show us, since, apparently, we can't live up to your standards?"

I broke into a grin and ran back to them. "You have to play fair," I scolded. They both nodded. "And you have to go get Alexis." Alexis was with my father. But I wanted all three of them here.

"You go get him," Lucian told me. "We'll wait here."

Lucian, with twenty three years, was the oldest of four boys. Then there was Ruben, at twenty one, Alexis, who was nineteen, and, finally, me. I was twelve. The baby of the family. I hated it. Everyone treated me different. Even my parents were extra careful. The people in town always asked me how my brothers were doing and told me how they hoped I would grow up to be just like them - hardworking and proper. I didn't want to be like them. I wanted to be my own person. Just because we were related, doesn't mean we had to be the same as one another. Sure we looked alike, but that wasn't the same. I planed to be special. My own person. And I was going to be known as Valek Icefaren Ixia. Not as 'Oh, look, it's little Valek. Isn't he adorable; he looks just like his brothers when they were small.'

I ran into the building that homed my Father's leather business. Father said I was going to take over it one day. He seemed proud that I was 'growing up to be a real man,' as he said it. "Father," I called. "Alex!" That was how we had nicknamed Alexis, since his full name was formal and too long to say, by any standards.

"In the back," a voice answered. I walk through the equipment-filled space and to the back of the place. "Alex," I called again.

"Yeah, I'm here." He came out of the back room. There were streaks of dirt on his face. "Hey, Valek." He ruffled my hair before I could dodge out of the way.

"What's going on? Where are the others, aren't they supposed to keep you entertained?"

"They're still outside. But you have to come with us. I want you to come play with me too." I grabbed his hand and started tugging him away from his previous work.

"Just wait a minute little man. I have to ask." He turned back to the door. "Father," he called.

"Yes son," I heard my Father's deep voice in answer.

"Apparently Valek doesn't have enough entertainers. He wants me to go outside with him."

My Father came out of from behind the door and looked down on me. "Not enough entertainers, huh? You're hard to please," he told me. "I think Alex can spare a few minutes. But..." I waited for the famous condition. It was always the same one. "You have to watch out for your brothers, Valek."

I laughed. As if they needed watching out for. "Yes, Sir." I saluted him, still laughing.

"Good. You're my man, I'm counting on you," Father said to me. He patted my head and pushed me away, towards the front door. "Run along and have fun now."

Alexis got dressed and followed me out into the snow. I ran to the spot where we always played, but there was no one in sight. I turned around to ask Alex, but he was gone too. I frowned angrily and harrumphed. I sat down in the snow bank. This was so unfair. Why did they always do this to me. I was going home. I got up and stomped in the direction of home. "You're going the wrong way," I heard Ruben snicker. I huffed while my cheeks burned in embarrassment and turned in the right direction.

I stomped into the house angrily. The smell calmed my nerves a little though. Honey and leather. Not the best combination, but it smelled like home.

"Valek, you're home. And you're all wet. Where are your brothers?" Mother asked me. "Come here, let's get you cleaned up and changed into something warm." She took my coat and other outdoor clothing and pushed me near the fire. I sat down in silence.

Mother brought me some clean clothes and a woolen sweater. I changed and then sat back down in front of the fire place. To my surprise, Mother sat down next to me. She pulled me into her arms, like when I was little. "What's wrong baby? Is everything all right?" She rubbed my back soothingly.

"No, they're mean." I pouted.

Mother chuckled. "No, they aren't. Your brothers are older than you. They love you, but you're always going to their baby brother." She sighed. "But my baby's growing up. He's going to be a man soon. And then who's going to hug me?" She held me tighter and sobered into my hair.

"Mother," I complained. "Let go of me. I'm not your baby." I pushed her away, laughing.

She just sighed. "That's what I get for carrying four boys." She shook her head. "You know I always wanted a little girl." Mother looked at me longingly, as if she wished I had been that little girl.

"You didn't want me to be a boy?" I asked quietly, feeling awkward.

"Oh, Valek. Don't ever say that. Of course I want you. You're my little man. You don't ever say things like that. But I wanted to have a girl too. Maybe twins - a girl and a boy. I would've called my little girl Brielle. And she would've been mine. All mine. And she would have given me all the hugs I wanted. She wouldn't go hooligan-ing around with you four." I wrapped my arms around Mother - who I had already outgrown. She was tiny. People in our village often wondered how she had survived, with such a small figure, carrying four strong boys.

She hugged me back for a moment, but then bustled away to the kitchen. I followed her. When I had been small, Mother had insisted I learn how to cook. My brothers and Father laughed at me for it, but I didn't mind. I liked spending time in the kitchen. I had grown up mainly there. Since Lucian, Alexis and Ruben were so much older than me, they were already helping Father with the business when I was born. I stayed home with Mother, learning how to cook and do other things that men didn't have to know.

Then I was let out into the village and made friends. Well, one friend actually. Her name was Luna. And she wasn't particularly pretty or wanted by anyone else, but she was unique. She always had something to talk about and I could tell her anything. She came from a bad family though. Her mother had died when she was little and her father was a drunk. He beat and hurt her. She never had enough money to eat. But I think her vulnerability was what had drawn me towards her in the first place. The feeling that it was my responsibility to take care of her.

"Valek, do you want to invite Luna over for dinner?" Mother asked. Mother knew all about Luna. She liked Luna to. She also liked it when we were together. I don't know why though. Many other people in town despised it. They said that I was 'better than that' and that I 'came from too good a family to be gathering filth.' Father didn't like it either. I could tell. But he didn't say it to me. "Valek?" Mother repeated.

"Yes, please. I'll go over to fetch her." I slipped off the counter and went to get my jacket, mittens and boots.

I was in such a hurry to get out the door that I crashed into Lucian. "Woah, there little man. Where are you going in such a hurry?" He steadied me.

I tried to push past him, but Ruben stopped me. "He's going to get his girlfriend," he leered. "Isn't that right, Valek?" he mocked. They all laughed.

"She's not my girlfriend. Let go of me," I struggled against his grip. I hated it when they tormented me like this. Ever since they first saw me talking to Luna, they've never shut up about it.

Thankfully, Mother walked in. "Now, boys leave your brother alone. He didn't do anything." I bounded out the door as fast as I could. And I sprinted through town and down the narrow path through the thin strip of forest on the edge of our village. Then I trotted to the little broken down cabin with the dirty windows.

I stopped then. I could hear the screams in the distance. And then the door opened. Luna was pushed out by a hand. "You filthy child. No one wants you. You're no better than a cheap whore. Get out of here," a man yelled.

Luna scrambled to her feet, showing off her soiled dress. I ran closer and took a firm stance in front of her. "You don't have the right," I shouted as loud as I could to her father.

"Oh, don't I?" He laughed. "I have every right. And what can you do about it anyways. You're no better than her. Both of you can go rot away in a fucking ditch," he screamed at me. And then he hit me. I fell back in surprise. No one had ever hit me like that before. My cheek stung. I think it was bleeding, but when I touched it, it was dry. It started pounding. The man stared at me. "You've never been taught a lesson. Filthy pampered piece of shit. Get off my land or I'll call the Kings soldiers. Both of you."

Luna took my hand and pulled me up. "Come on Valek. Let's go," she whispered. I followed her down the path. She had to drag me by the hand.

When the house was out of sight, she stopped. And then she started crying. I looked at her for the first time. Her cheek was swollen and her lower lip had split. The tops of her arms were purple from bruises. She was shivering from the cold. Her fingers were blue and she was wearing only her soiled dress and slippers. "You're cold," I said stupidly.

Luna smiled. "Just a little. I'll be fine."

"No you won't. You'll get hypothermia. Mother says that it's bad. You have to get dressed." I slipped off my coat and put it on her. It was too big, but better than nothing. Then I started pulling her towards town. I was going to take her home to Mother. She would know what to do.

"Valek, where are we going?" Luna asked.

"We're going to my house. You're coming over for dinner," I informed her.

Luna grinned. "I like coming over for dinner to your house. Your Momma is a good cook," she told me.

I pulled her through the front door of my home. "Mother," I called. My teeth chattered and caused the word to shake. It wasn't Mother but Lucian who came to the door.

"What is it?" he asked. "And why does she have your coat? And where are her shoes? What the hell is wrong with you two? Do you just run around naked intentionally or lose your clothes as you go? And what happened to your face?" he demanded.

"Go away Lucian. Where's Mother?"

"In the kitchen." he replied gruffly before walking out the door and no doubt heading towards fathers leather business. Taking Luna's thin wrist gently in my hand, I guided her through to the kitchen.

"Mother!" I called again, this time it was her and not my brother who answered.

Her back was facing me as she stirred one of the pots on the stove, but when she heard my voice she turned around. "Valek, what... oh, hello Luna. What happened to the both of you? What happened to your cheek, baby?" She reached over to touch the tender bruise that was forming because of Luna's father.

"Her Father kicked her out of the house." Luna started to cry again, and I hesitantly rubbed circles on her back, unsure how to comfort her.

"Oh my," Mother said. "That's terrible." She completely forgot about my face for the time being, thankfully. She pulled Luna towards a seat and crouched down to her level. She wiped my friend's tears away and then said, "Luna, sweetheart, do you have any family alive? You could go live with them. I'm sure the King's men would understand, they would have someone accompany you. If not I'll send one of my boys. How about that?"

"Yes ma'am I have an older cousin down south. Right near the border. She moved there when she married her magic man. But she has three babies of her own. I don't know if she can take me in," Luna sniffed.

"Well we'll send her a message. See what she thinks about it. In the mean time -"

I cut Mother off, "She can stay with us. Right Mother? Right?" I asked.

Mother sighed. "Valek... I'm not sure. I'll talk to your father about it, but I doubt we can take care of another one. You two go eat something, I'll talk to him."

I pulled Luna to the dining room where Ruben and Alexis were still eating. "Hi Luna," Alexis leered. "Is my little brother being a good boyfriend?"

Ruben laughed. Then he took a closer look at me. "Why is your face all puffed up? Who did that? I swear to God, I'll break his jaw!"

I didn't answer. I didn't need anyone to take care of me. I could take care of myself. But, then again, sometimes having three older brothers was useful. I remembered one time, when I was seven, some older boys from the neighbourhood had made it a habit to push me around and into the snow. I came home one day, completely soaked and there was a cut over my eye from some pieces of ice I had fallen into. Lucian took one look at me, made me confess who it was and then dragged me out to watch him scare the living shit out of the four boys. It was kind of funny, I had to admit, to see them shaking and apologizing to me one by one.

"Eat something." I pushed Luna down into her usual seat. Luna looked at the food uncertainly, and waited for me to be seated and help myself before putting some on her plate. But this was the usual procedure.

I could hear my parents arguing in the other room. "Leonard, she's only a child. There's no place for her to go." "I know, I know. But we can't keep her here. Look, I'll talk to the woman who owns the orphanage in the next village." "That's a horrible idea. Do you know how many children are already there?" "I know, but it's only for the time being. You said she had a cousin near the border. I'll send notice to her and then I'll send Lucian to bring her there when arrangements are made." "Don't forget about Valek. He'll never forgive you if you don't let him accompany her." "Valek can go with them if he wants. The point is, she has somewhere to go." "What about the soldiers? Doesn't she have to obtain permission to move so far away?" "No, that is the only thing we don't have to worry about. She'll be going to see family, so it doesn't qualify as 'travel.'" And on and on and on...

My brothers didn't forget about my face though. Neither did Mother. She made me put ice to it, but as soon as she was out of sight, they descended on me. Who? Where? When? All the details were spilled out. Long story short, I don't think Luna's father will be bothering anyone anytime soon.

The more arrangements were made, the more I didn't want Luna to go. She would be so far away and I would have to sit alone when the others played. It wasn't that I didn't want to stick around the other kids, but I didn't like their games. They pretended to be brave soldiers for the King. I thought the King's soldiers were overpaid cowards. That's what my brothers said, anyway.

As it turned out, the orphanage couldn't take her, but Luna's cousin gave word to send her over as soon as possible. I sat on the porch waiting for Luna to come down with her bags. I was coming with her and Lucian, but I knew I probably would never see her again. She was leaving just in time for me to turn thirteen and her to be twelve. We were born a day apart, me being one year older. We had a small celebration and Luna was scheduled to be leaving the next day.

"Valek," I heard my name. I turned to my best friend.

"Yeah," I asked.

"I don't want to go," she whispered. "I'm scared. I want to stay here, with you." She wrapped her arms around me.

I hugged her for a handful of moments, but eventually let go. "But you have to," I told her. "You'll live with your cousin. And you'll make new friends."

"But you'll be alone. Who will you talk to when something goes wrong? And who will go on very long walks with you?" she asked. She knew I was different, that I didn't especially like running around pretending to knight people. That, when I was upset, I liked to take long walks and talk to somebody. Think things over.

"I'll talk to you. I'll go on long walks by myself, but I'll talk to you."

"That's silly," she said. "How can you talk to me if I'm not there?"

"Magic," I whispered mysteriously. "I'll send a magical message to you. And you'll hear it, wherever you are."

"You don't have magic, Valek," she told me.

"But I do. I haven't told anyone yet, but I'll tell you a secret. Come closer, I have to whisper." Luna slid closer to me and I said in a very quiet voice,

"One night, a ghost came to see me."

Luna gasped. "No." She frowned defiantly at my fairy tale.

"Yes. And he gave me magic. And you want to know what happened next?" I asked, still in an exaggeratedly low tone. Luna nodded. "Boo!" I shouted, attacking her with my hands. Luna screamed and fell back into the snow. I burst out laughing.

"That wasn't funny," she ground out. I was still laughing, and after a while, Luna joined in. That's how Lucian found us. Both us us sitting in the snow, laughing like buffoons.

"Alright, time to go," he said. We got up, still laughing. And set off. Even though this was a sad journey, we begun it with smiles on our faces. And I was glad. That my memory of Luna was going to be a good one.

It took us a week to reach the place where my best friend's cousin was supposed to be. She welcomed us all with open arms, Luna especially. I was happy that she was finally going to live somewhere where she was treated right. But I couldn't find it in me to smile. Not a real smile, at any rate. Just little smiles, here and there. Luna saw through them though. It was obvious. And she wasn't the kind of person to keep quiet about these kind of things.

She pulled me outside, onto the large porch. The cold season was settling in and I knew the way home would be rough, since the weather would only grow colder. Luna just sat there for a while, looking at me. Then she said, "What's wrong?"

"You're leaving," I said simply.

"But I have to. You said so yourself." Then a moment of silence. "Valek, will I ever see you again?" she whispered.

"Of course you will. I'll come see you all the time when I get older. And when I become rich - richer than the King himself - I'll come get you and buy

you a pretty dress," I promised. "A pink one," I added, knowing that pink was her favourite color.

"A wedding dress?" she suddenly asked.

I turned to her. "What?"

"Are you going to buy me a wedding dress?" she repeated.

"You're getting married?" I asked stupidly.

"Valek, will you marry me someday?" Luna asked. The thought scared me.

I didn't answer. I just looked up at the stars. After a while though, I said, "You don't want to marry me."

"Why not?" She paused. "I love you, Valek." Luna slid closer to me on the bench and slid her gloved hand into my own. "Do you love me?" she asked.

"I love you." My answer was simple, short. It was the truth. At thirteen years old, I loved my best friend. Not that I knew what love actually was. But

in my mind, at the time, this was it. Sitting on the porch with my best friend. That was what represented love to me.

We fell asleep on the porch, hand in hand. Luna had been crying and I had been looking up into the sky. Mother had told me that souls went up there. That they could help if you were confused. I don't know about the helping part, but I did know that souls went up there. And I knew that they watched us from the stars. I wondered what we looked like to them.

The next day, I woke up in a bed. Luna was still beside me, clutching my hand. I squinted into the darkness. It was before dawn, but Lucian was already shaking me awake. I groaned and started to untangle myself from the covers and Luna. I didn't want to wake her, but decided to leave her a note so that she wouldn't think I was leaving without a goodbye.

Father had taught me to write and I had taught Luna to write her own name and read simple words. It was harder than I thought, but I knew someone would read it to her, if she couldn't herself.

_Luna,_

_You're my best friend in the entire world and I don't want you to go. But you have to. And you'll make new friends. But I don't want you to ever forget me. Because I won't forget you. You'll always be the best friend I ever had._

_No matter what happens, I love you. Never forget that._

_Valek_

I folded the note in half and put it next Luna's clothes that her cousin had laid out for the next day. She would find it there. Lucian came into the room just as I finished dressing.

"Ready to go little man?" he asked me in a hushed tone. I nodded in response. "Let us set off then," he said with a smile. After breakfast and a word of thanks to Luna's cousin and her husband, we left for home.

The trip back was long. Longer than the one we took to get here. It was probably due to the fact that there was nobody to talk to. Sure, I could talk to my brother, but it wasn't the same. But I did. I had to ask him something.

"Lucian," I said.

"Yeah little man?" he replied.

"Do you know what love is?" I asked.

Lucian looked at me. "What do you mean?" He paused for a moment. "Is this about what Luna said to you yesterday?" he asked. _How do you know what she said to me yesterday? _ I wanted to shriek at him. Is there no such thing as privacy? Instead, I just said, "Yes."

"You don't have to know what it is yet, Valek." he told me.

"What do you mean?"

"You're young. You've still got your whole life ahead of you. You don't want to worry yourself over something like love. At least just not yet."

"I am not too young. Why does everyone keep saying that?" I said, frustrated.

"Because your are." I scowled at him and he smiled before continuing. "All I'm trying to say is, you don't have to fall in love with the first pretty girl you meet. You take your time and choose the perfect one."

"It's not like that." I told him. "It's different with her. I mean, she's my best friend. Would it be so bad for me to marry my best friend? At least we'd get along."

"It's not as simple as that, Valek. And anyway, you're far to young to talk about things like marriage and love." He didn't say anything else, and I didn't make the effort to either. I thought it would be awkward to talk about it with my brother, and I was right, it was. But what annoyed me the most was how he didn't understand anything I was saying.

I may be young, but I knew I loved her. He was right when he said I was too young to think about marriage - but that doesn't mean I didn't want to in the future. I meant what I said about marrying my best friend. After witnessing so many arguments between my mother and father, it seems like the most logical solution. Of course we'd still have our arguments, everyone does. But for the majority of the time, we get along. And I definitely wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with her.

But I guess that will never happen now, or if it did, it would be highly unlikely. I guess now I'd go back to my lonely and boring life before I met Luna.

The rest of the trip back home seemed to take forever. Each minute dragged by, each time met by silence.

The rest of the trip was rather uneventful. We were mostly quiet and it wasn't long until our house was in view. But there wasn't any smoke coming from the chimney. That was odd. There was always a fire burning. The house would be freezing without it. And, considering it was the middle of winter, the lack of a hearth was alarming. Lucian picked up the pace, leaving me almost running beside him.

When we reached the house, we barged straight in. We weren't worried about making our father angry - we didn't care about that right now. The usual cozy warmth of the house, had been replaced by sheer coldness. No one was in the living room, and we started to worry. our mother would usually be sitting doing her needlework, but she, our father, Alexis and Ruben were no where to be seen.

We dashed into the kitchen. Our father was sitting at the table, his head in his hands. A half empty bottle of whisky sat on the table with a half empty glass. Our mother stood beside him, rubbing his back comfortingly. And Alexis and Ruben stood in the corner of the room, looking sheepish.

"What happened?" Lucian asked. I could tell he was feeling anxious - our father wasn't the person to be around when he was angry.

"The snow is what happened." he didn't remove his hands from his face, and his voice was muffled, and I wondered whether I had heard him right. Icefaren Province is covered in snow every day why would it only be a problem now?

"I don't understand," I said weakly. I really didn't want to get him angry, but I had to know what was making him so upset. He hardly ever showed emotion, so this has to be something bad.

He took a deep breath and put his hands down on the table. He turned to face me, and I shied away from his gaze. He gestured for me to come closer to him, and I swallowed nervously before slowly walking up to him. I stopped when I was less than a yard a way from him, scared to get too close in case he was still angry.

Looking in my eyes, he placed his hands on my shoulders. I tried not to stiffen at his touch, but his face only showed concern.

"Valek." his voice was still quiet, but I had a feeling he was heading towards an explosion. And it came, "Of course you don't understand. You understand nothing! The tax soldiers will be coming in four days and we don't have the money!"

"What? But the business? I thought you said we'd be getting more money this month."

"Well that was before the snow collapsed the roof! It ruined the equipment! How am I supposed to work with no roof or supplies? It will take weeks to fix. Either we don't pay the taxes, or we don't eat for a month!"

"There must be some other way." But I knew it was hopeless. We barely had enough to live by as it is, let alone with the taxes. That's what I don't understand. We have to pay huge sums each month, and for what? The King doesn't do anything for us. If he did, we would be eating every night, and he would definitely give us more time to find the money.

But of course the King isn't like that at all. All the Tax money goes towards his army or soldiers and Magicians. Not to mention his chambers of gold. It's like those fairy tales. With the evil King spending all the Tax money on pointless objects for himself? I think it's fairly obvious where they got that idea from.

My stomach twisted painfully. I didn't want anything to happen to my family. Mother finally spoke up, "Valek, go wash up and to bed."

"But Mother," I complained.

"No buts, Valek. Get your ass to bed. Now," she commanded.

Reluctantly, I walked away and climbed the stairs. I waited until I was out of sight, before sitting down on the steps and leaning my head against the cold wooden railing. Closing my eyes, I listened to the conversation downstairs.

I could hear my father's voice clearly, his loud deep voice could be heard up the stairs, but I had to strain to hear my mothers and brothers quiet voices as they attempted to calm my father down and come up with some solution to his big mess.

They continue to argue for what felt like hours. I squeezed my eyes shut. I knew what life was going to be like for the next few months, or at least until fathers leather business was up and running again. This isn't the first time it has happened - but before it was weeks before the soldiers were due to arrive to collect the taxes. But we still had next to nothing to eat, but at least we didn't have the possibility of my father getting arrested, or worse, killed.

I dropped my head to my knees and tangled my fingers into my curly hair. I tugged at it, hard, trying to remove the painful thoughts and images from my head. I knew what would happen if my father was killed. Not only would we grieve for our father, we would also starve to death. I mean, what else is there to eat in Icefaren Province in the middle of winter? And it's not exactly like we could kill a snow cat and eat it - no one has ever done that

before.

A painful silence suddenly filled the house after my fathers last outburst, and I quietly walked up the last remaining steps and down the corridor to mine and my brothers' room. I didn't want to get caught for eavesdropping, especially not from my father, definitely not now when he's in a bad mood. Because, on the contrary of what Luna's father had suggested, I had been taught a lesson. And many times.

In some way I blamed myself for this happening. Even though there was nothing we could do. The snow caused many of the problems in the district, and even though the houses and buildings had been modified to withstand the harsh winters, sometimes disasters like this just happened.

I tossed and turned that night, barely getting any sleep as my mind kept replaying the possible scenarios of how I could have prevented this had I been there.

The next few days were the most frightening of my entire life. With almost no money left, we had to rationalize what we ate and how much firewood we used. The first night, only a small fire burned and we all slept huddled around it. There was one meal and I took my time savouring it. Everything went by at a dreadfully slow pace.

I offered to help father in repairing the roof of his business, but he shouted at me to stay away. He said he didn't want to change anything - so the soldiers would have the evidence to prove we're telling the truth. Of course, we all knew it wouldn't make a difference, the King's men never listened to reason.

It was now the dreaded day the soldiers were due to arrive, and the atmosphere in the house was tense to say the least. Father hasn't said a word all day, he just sat by the window. Staring out and waiting for them to ride up the road on their black horses and knock loudly on the door.

I sat on the couch trying to read a book Lucian had acquired - he had been the one to teach me to read and count - but the words became unfocused on the page as my mind wandered. I had been looking at the same page for the past hour now, the words never sinking in or making any sense at all.

But I couldn't bring my self to put it down. Not yet. I needed something to occupy my mind, even though it wasn't working. I figured it was better than sitting doing nothing, or looking out the window and waiting like my father has been doing.

The dreaded knock echoed through the silent house and made me jump in my seat. I hid the book under the couch cushions and watched my father walk heavily to the door. My stomach rumbled. We hadn't had dinner today, and my stomach was protesting despite having been through worse hunger than this before. The door opened at an exaggerated slowness. The soldiers who stood behind it were quick with business, "Tax money."

Father sighed. He moved to the kitchen and took out whatever money we had accumulated before our business came crashing down. But we all knew it wasn't enough. There was a little left over apart from that, but I knew Father wanted to keep that to fix the roof and feed us a little. He handed the money to the soldiers in silence. One of them quickly went over it. "This isn't the amount expected," he said. "Where is the rest?"

"I don't have any more. I barely have enough to feed my family as it is, please Sir," my father begged.

"Not enough?" the soldier exclaimed. "Not enough?" he demanded. He unsheathed his weapon and brought it close to Father. I got up and ran over to him. I reverted to the stage of a child, tugging desperately at Father's hand, trying to get him away from the door, but he wouldn't move.

The soldier spotted me and a sinister smile spread on his bearded face. "Why don't you be a good little boy and go stand with your mother."

"No." He looked a bit taken aback at my curt answer. Hardly no one ever spoke to the solders like that - at least not if they wanted to get killed. His eyes narrowed at me and his face turned a bright shade of red.

"Valek. Do as he says." Father warned. I released my grip on his hand, and walked to Mother, who was standing about ten yards behind us. I gripped her hand tightly.

The soldier returned his attention to Father. I fought my desire to go back to him. I couldn't let them hurt him. I didn't know what I'd do if they did. Lucian stepped in, thankfully. He could persuade them, save our family.

"Sirs, I am quite sure there has been a simple misunderstanding, that is all," Lucian said, trying to keep any blood from being spilt. I hoped he would succeed. He lowered the man's sword. I swallowed hard.

"Yes. And it can all be resolved in a peaceful manner as soon as we receive the tax money the King has ordered from every household by the end of the season," the soldier said and held out his hand expectantly, as if the money were to appear out of thin air and he would put it in his pocket.

"My father... we don't have the money Sirs. Our business was ruined by the snow storm. We hove none left," Lucian said gravely.

"If I pay you the full amount, my family will starve. Is that what the King wants? For the citizens of his kingdom to live without the bare necessities?" Father asked.

I watched the exchange, trembling. Ruben and Alexis were already by the door, trying to calm things down before anyone got hurt. I hoped they could. Honestly, I would rather not eat for a month than have anyone in my family hurt or die. There was a sudden noise of metal. I looked up in horror. One of the soldiers had Ruben in a death hold, the tip of the weapon to his throat. My breathing grew rapid and labored. Don't hurt him, I pleaded in my mind.

"Sirs, let go of my brother," Lucian said. The other guard unsheathed his sword.

There was a sickening sound and Ruben fell to the ground. So did Lucian. I screamed. Mother fell to her knees. Alexis attacked, but he was unarmed and the soldiers weren't. He went down last. I screamed. And screamed. And screamed. They were gone.

But the guards just laughed. Pure rage filled me. "Problem solved. Now you have three less mouths to feed," one of them told Father. He just stared at them, mouth agape. "Next month, you pay double and whatever is missing to this amount."

Mother sobbed. I screamed as the bodies lay there, losing blood and Father stood there without a trace of emotion on his face.

* * *

**See? We told you the other chapter would be crazy long. So forgive us for the short prologue, but it was necessary. For getting your attention and clearing things up as to the fact that Valek wasn'talways how he is in Poison Study.**

**Also, don't be mad about Luna. She's great. You'll see. And there might be some romance between them, but honestly people get over it. Yelena is not the only thing that Valek has ever seen in his life. That would be majorly pathetic on a teenage boy's part.**

**Review, please! We'd love to see what you think about the first real chapter (:**

**Karl & Harlequin**


	3. The Day Begins At Dawn

**Hiya everyone!  
**

**Harlequin and I are back! It is summer so I have finally squeezed a chapter out of our dear Harlequin. I'm hoping for another at the end of the month, but no promises.**

**Meanwhile, enjoy!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 3**

I had been working in the chateau for quite a while. At first, I had returned to my house at the end of the day, but it soon became obvious that there weren't enough hours in the night for me to make the trip back and forth as well as get a good night of sleep. I returned to my house once a month and sent my wages home every week. It was difficult being away from home so much, but the money was worth it. My Father had sent me news that we were catching up to the amount owed and that he was certain we would have it by the end of the season.

Father complained though. He had wanted me apprenticed, not working as a servant. He made me promise to look for a Master that would take me in with the start of the new season. I tried. Nothing seemed to suit me though. And, as the new season settled in, all I had managed to achieve was a higher position in the nobleman's estate. I was promoted to guard.

_I had been watching the guards' training every night I could before going off to bed, knowing I had to get up early the next day. After a week or so of this sneaking, one of them approached me, "You know how to fight, lad?"_

_I shook my head. "No, Sir."_

"_You want to learn?"_

_My eyes grew wide. Could I really? Surely I wouldn't be any good. Oh, how wrong I was. Within the season, I was tossing some of the trained soldiers into the mud. I continued to come to the grounds every spare moment of my time until the Lord spotted me._

"_Come here, boy," I heard him order and he motioned with his hand to come closer. I obeyed. I had learned the hard way what it was not to obey immediately. Flogging. My shoulders clenched at the thought. "Your name, boy."_

"_Valek, Milord." Keep it simple._

"_Well, Valek. It seems as though you have quite the affinity with a weapon," Lord Cyril inquired. He waited for me to respond._

"_If you say so, Milord," I answered. Keep your head down and accept any compliments or favors with grace. Never take the final word in any conversation._

_The man smiled tightly. "Your age, Valek."_

_It was a good sign he still called me by my name. I had not acted in a way that would put me beneath any of his attentions. "Thirteen, Milord."_

_His eyebrows shot up quizzically. I was used to it by now. My early growth sprout had me looking like a sixteen-year-old. "No, you must be older than that, boy." I cringed. He thought I was lying—hence the reversal to 'boy'._

"_Milord, I assure you, I am thirteen."_

_Lord Cybil pursed his lips. "Then you must be apprenticed, Valek? Just begun with a new Master, leaving for his home soon?" If—at sixteen—I did not have a Master, surely I was staying. But, at thirteen, I still had a chance of getting a spot somewhere. He suspected I was leaving the estate soon. _

"_No, Milord. My Father is looking for someone to apprentice me to, but has not found anyone adequate yet."_

"_Well then, bring news to your Father. Tell him I have found you a Master," Lord Cybil laughed heartily. "The Weapons' Master is looking for someone to train. And with your obvious talent I can't see why he would refuse. You'll be promoted to guard and the Weapons' Master will take you as a student." The Lord looked pleased with himself. I didn't know how my Father would react to this news, however. Weapons' Master? Was that really what I was going to do with my life?_

_I forced a smile onto my face. I would deal with the problems ahead when they arose. "Yes Milord. I am sure my Father will be pleased." It wasn't a total lie. If I told Father that this was what I wanted to do, I was sure he would support me in my decision although he may not completely approve. I would just tell him that the opportunity had come along and the prospect looked appealing. He would let me make my own choices._

_But when I sat with my quill on hand that night, the words would not come to me. How could I say this? I couldn't refuse the position—it had been granted to me by Lord Cybil himself—and I shuddered at the idea of displeasing my Father. Oh, well, here goes nothing._

Pater _Father_,

I am writing to you about my apprenticeship. I have been given a Master by Lord Cybil. I have been promoted to guard—it surprised me too. Apparently, as many people here tell me, I have an affinity with a weapon. Lord Cybil saw me training today and told me that the Weapons' Master will gladly take me as a student.

Don't worry about the apprenticeship's fee. My new position earns me much higher wages and I will pay myself. I will send the rest of the money to Mother and You of course, as usual. The amount You will receive should remain the same as before, if my calculations are correct.

To answer your questions from your previous letter—yes, I will be visiting soon. I will come home during the next week with all the details. Yes, I will pick up your order from the shop on my way.

Your son,  
Valek A. Icefaren Ixia

_I read over my letter squinting at some of the words in an effort to read them. My writing hadn't always been this messy, my 't's looking like 'l's and the letters mashed together. Lucian had taken over teaching me to write as well as bringing me to the small school underneath the church and I had started off in a neat cursive. Then it all went downhill. With Lucian and the others… gone, I had given up on a proper education. Better to find a job and keep the house, the business and my parents going. It would have to do._

_I folded the sheet and inserted it into an envelope. I would hand it to an envoy in the morning._

I now sat in my home's kitchen, drinking tea Mother had prepared. It was a miracle she had even gotten out of bed, I took the tea gratefully.

"Weapons' Master?" Father asked me.

I looked up at him over my cup. My work on the estate had greatly improved my Father's view of me. I was now a man, no longer a boy, and I had matured to fit the title. I scrutinized his face. "Yes."

He didn't say anything, waiting for a more complete answer. I took a sip of my tea before responding. "You don't like the idea?" I asked. Better to have his view on things before giving my opinion. It was a skill I had learned at the manor: never contradict or question your superior.

Father sighed. The wisps of heat from his drink expelled into the air. I had learned to be observant like that. Watching for the smallest things. "It's not what I would have expected from you, Valek." He paused, then thought better of it and spoke again, "An affinity with a weapon, you tell me?"

"That's what Lord Cybil calls it. And the other soldiers. I just need your word to go ahead with it."

Father stared at me, his gaze steady, and I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.

"Valek, are you sure you want to do this?" He asked.

I nodded, in answer.

"Then I won't stop you. Just promise me you'll keep me updated on everything you do. Promise you'll be careful."

I smiled, and told him I would. He laughed, ruffling my hair. "My little man is growing up." He chuckled.

I gagged in response and pushed his hand away, laughing.

.oO° ° °Oo.

Upon returning to the chateau, I turned and head straight for the training yard, knowing that some of the other soldiers would be waiting for me to join their practice.

As I neared the field, I noticed that the usual clusters of soldiers had all gathered in the centre of the training yard, forming a rough circle. I slowed my pace, searching the crowds for a familiar face.

"Valek!" I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned around, coming face to face with one of the soldiers I practiced with.

"Hey," I replied. "You got any idea what's going on?" I nodded towards the soldiers.

"Yeah… Shalom just came out, looking for his apprentice… Apparently, he's late. I wouldn't wanna be in that kid's shoes, Shalom is terrifying enough when he isn't angry!"

I frowned. "Who's Shalom?" I asked.

"He's the Weapons' Master. Didn't you know? Oh man, everyone kn—"

I was no longer listening. I felt horror grip me, and I ran past the crowd, only to see them all watching a figure walking into the rooms at the far end of the courtyard. I ran after him, knowing I couldn't mess this up. I needed to get this apprenticeship.

I heard howls following me to the barracks. "Someone's in trouble!" "Who would have thought!" "Little Valek is in for it..."

The door slammed shut in from of my face, although I was sure that Shalom had seen me following him, if he hadn't at least heard the others mocking me.

I stood in front of the door for what seemed like ages, even if it was only a few seconds.

Someone called out to me, "Duck when you go in!" It was followed by laughter.

I gulped.

I knocked on the door, my heart thumping. All I could imagine was the lashing I would receive, for being late. I waited, but nothing. I raised my hand to knock again, but then I heard the weapons master.

"Come in," he said, calmly. My heart calmed a little, and I opened the door, entering the room. Maybe they were just trying to scare me.

"Sorry I'm la—"

Something sailed past my ear. I fell to the ground. Glancing in back of me, I caught the sun glinting off the blade which had lodged into the door frame.

I lay on the ground, panting. Should I get up? I didn't dare even look up. Slowly, a pair boots came into view as my Master stood in front of me.

"Get up," a deep voice ordered. I swallowed, not daring to move. "I said, get up."

Shaking, I slowly stood. Shalom towered over me.

The door slammed shut. "I will not deal with your shenanigans. You are to be here every morning before dawn and you will not leave until I say we have finished for the day."

I looked down. "Yes, Master," I whispered.

"What?" he demanded. "Are you a scared little girl, or are you my apprentice?"

"Your apprentice, Master," I managed.

"Then start acting like it. We do not dawdle, we follow orders and nothing is a detail. Anything else means death. You will speak when spoken to, act only when ordered and never, under any circumstances, disobey me. Do you understand, Valek?" How did he know my name?

"Yes, Master."

"There's a pail and a mop in the corner. Get to work."

He stalked past me, walking out, and slamming the door behind him. Without his presence, the room seemed much larger and I stared at the pail and mop he had pointed out to me. This was the exact opposite of what I had expected from this job. I was still a servant. Or maybe he was still mad.

Either way, I moved to pick up the pail. After I managed to drag it out of the room and fill it, I got to work. As Shalom put it.

The door creaked open, allowing a sliver of light to paint the floor, but I determinedly continued working. I wouldn't give my Master an excuse to beat me. It wasn't rare for apprentices to receive physical punishment.

"Well, would you look who it is," a smug voice echoed in the room, and I stopped, glancing up. Damon strode into the room, regarding me. "I never expected you to make it this far, Valek. You get to clean the barracks."

"Shut it, Damon," I snapped. He had incessantly pestered me ever since the first day I arrived.

He smirked, walking further into my room, and treading mud over the floor I had already cleaned.

"Hey!" I protested. "I just cleaned that, get out!"

He ignored me. "I see you're an apprentice too, then."

I nodded, "Weapons' Mastery... You?"

"I'm apprenticed to the blacksmith," he answered in a rather superior tone. I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. He could've been telling the truth, but he didn't look nearly bulky enough to lug around a blacksmith's tools.

"I don't believe you." I blurted out without thought.

He raised an eyebrow. "And, why would I lie about it to you?" I had no answer for that one. I stared at him, and he grinned, smug.

I opened my mouth to retort, just as the Weapons' Master walked. He stopped short in his tracks, and regarded the muddy floor. My mouth went dry.

"Master, I can explain! You see, Damon walk—"

"Don't make excuses, boy." He said, his lips curling in distaste.

He turned to Damon, "Well?"

Damon started. "Well, what? I don't have any news. I don't have access to all this information. I'm only thirteen, you know," he huffed.

"What about the new Snow Cats?"

My eyes widened and I looked down in haste. Snow Cats. The rebels. That was what Lucian had called them. It didn't make any sense: why would these people work with the rebels? They didn't. They couldn't.

"Maybe. Who?"

I couldn't restrain myself. I had to know. "Is it true?" I asked. They both turned to glare at me. I shrunk back from my Master's gaze. "Nothing…" I muttered before he could even ask.

"Later," he said in a strained voice to Damon. The latter smirked at me before leaving the room.

It didn't take long after that. "What did I tell you about speaking?" Shalom demanded. His hand gripped my ear hard. I mashed my teeth together to keep from yelling out. He shook me.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I repeated over and over. "I'm sorry." He let me fall to the floor.

"Finish cleaning up," he snarled before moving to a table in the far corner of the room. He sat with his feet up on the table, surveying me. It was long past dark by the time I finished cleaning.

.oO° ° °Oo.

My arms ached. Shalom had had me clean every surface in the room. I stood in the midst of my hard work, looking at my Master. He stood and walked to the back of the room. Springing open a large lock, the wall was slid away.

My eyes bulged out my head. Lined inside was every weapon imaginable and even some unimaginable. Swords, maces, knives of all lengths and sizes, colored darts, chains attached to all sorts of instruments, long pipes, whips, clamps… It was never ending.

"Now," Shalom said. "How many of these can you name?"

I glanced over the wall. I knew a sword from a knife, but I doubted it was as simple as that. I shook my head, "None, Master."

He sighed. "Dear God, you're hopeless. At this rate, with your attitude, I'll never get you anywhere." I wanted to scream out at him that he hadn't even tried and here he was, giving up already. "You know how to write?" he grunted.

Happy to have done something right for a change, I nodded enthusiastically. My Master watched me with what looked like disgust. My smile dropped. "Yes, Master," I corrected myself.

He nodded, but didn't look the least bit pleased. "Sit. We will not even be thinking about any weapons today. I am going to go over the rules with you." I swallowed hard and dropped into the seat across from the one he had assumed.

"You are here before dawn every morning. You address me as Master and no less. You will be moved from your room in the servants' wing into my personal home. You treat everything which belongs to me with the utmost respect. You do not touch anything without my permission. You do not speak unless spoken to, and only if asked a direct question. I want a clear, concise answer—no babbling. You will be assigned daily chores on top of your apprentice duties. You will complete them exactly as they are given and only when you are finished may you be excused for the day." My heart beat faster in my chest. I didn't dare ask about visits to my parents' house. "If I deem your work for the day to be inadequate, you will not be fed. Your wages go to me. I run your expenses—"

"But…" I squeaked. My eyes grew wide and slapped a hand over my mouth.

Shalom's jaw tensed. "Is there a problem, Valek?" he asked with a mockery of curiosity. I took a deep breath. "Speak up, boy!" he barked.

"M-my parents…" I stuttered.

"Yes, tedious creatures aren't they?" he chuckled.

"My wages go to my parents," I managed to breathe.

"Wrong. Fifty per cent of your wages go to your parents. The rest becomes your apprentice fee. Is there another problem?" He raised his eyebrows.

I shook my head, my breathing just a tad easier.

"Very well, moving on. I run your expenses. Any and all mail you receive goes through my hands first. If there is anyone you wish to visit, the privilege of a vacation must be earned. You will constantly be tested on your knowledge. Punishments will be given out on my word, whether you agree or not. Is this all understood, Valek?" he asked.

I caught myself in the beginning of a nod. "Yes, Master."

"Go get your belongings. I will sort through them to determine what you will and will not need."

.oO° ° °Oo.

I was like he was purposely trying to set me off. After sifting through all my personal things, he repossessed over half of them and threw away the others. He left me only one pair of underpants, my pajamas, some woolen socks and a thick sweater. Then he grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, like a dog, and pushed me ahead of him in the direction of a small cottage in the distance.

He unlocked the door and stuffed me inside. I rubbed the back of my neck when he released me. The place was filthy and I knew that I'd probably have to clean it before I could hope for any rest. I blinked my eyes, trying to force them to remain open.

Shalom looked me over. I was just as dirty as the apartment we stood in from all the work I had done today. "Take a bath. You stink. Your room is at the end of the hall, to the left. Report back here when you're done." He stalked off. I swayed with relief when he was out of sight.

.oO° ° °Oo.

I didn't see him again until a little while later. I stood in front of the small fire I had started to melt warm the snow I would be using as bath water. A shadow fell over me. "Heat more of that up. I want a steaming bath waiting in my room within the hour."

I lugged a tub for my Master to his bedroom and ran a bath for him. Then I set about doing the same in my room.

I finished washing, dressed in the clothes my Master had left me. I dragged my battered body to the living room.

I heard Shalom muttering something about rocks crashing against the floor as he joined me in the main room several long minutes later.

I was inspected thoroughly and then a pair of scissors was taken out and any hair that grew past my shoulders was chopped off. "Keep it like that at all times," was the only comment I merited when it was all over. I had expected my hair to be ragged and chopped unevenly, but when Shalom held a dirty mirror in front my face, I was surprised to find that my new hair was neat and styled. "You'll be doing that yourself soon enough. Along with shaving, if anything ever starts to grow on that baby-face of yours," my Master grunted.

"Off to bed," he pushed me out of the room. My stomach growled in response. I hadn't eaten anything since morning, but I wasn't about to pass off an opportunity to rest.

I was shocked to the core when I came into my room again. There was fresh bedding on the thin mattress that had been laid out for me and, a bare work table and chair had been set up. There was a bowl of some sort of stew waiting for me.

A note was written in calligraphic script:

I won't be poisoning you until later. Feel free to eat without fear.

The note didn't reassure me in the least, but it was either this or nothing. However, when I sat down, I couldn't bring myself to eat it. What if it was a trap? What if someone else had set the food out? I lurched out of my chair, grabbing the food and utensils, I ran across the hall to the main room.

Shalom looked up at me in annoyance. He was eating out of a pot holding the same mixture I held a bowl of. "No gratitude, I see," he commented dryly. "I could have let you hold out till morning, but I told myself: "_You were too hard on the poor kid. It's his first day, he's probably shitting himself." _Huh. Figures a brat like you wouldn't appreciate the simple joy of a hot meal."

"Figures you're such an asshole," I retorted. Then backed up a few step when he leaned in my direction and put out my arms to protect myself from the lashes I was sure to receive as a reward for my words.

All I got was laughter. "You're a pussy, you know that, kid? One second you're all out, swearing at me, and the next, you're hiding in your mother's skirts." He paused. "I'm not going to hit you, Valek. Come, sit." He motioned to the second chair with his spoon. "Eat."

I sat down and began shoveling food into my mouth gratefully. "Thank you, Master," I slipped in between mouthfuls.

"You don't have to add that title to every sentence. You're making me feel like a damn slave owner."

I didn't answer, practically liking my bowl clean. Shalom watched my attentively. "Where are you from, kid?"

I looked up in surprise. It was such a normal question that I had trouble associating with him. "Icefaren Station."

"Any siblings?"

I flinched and spoke carefully, "No…"

Something that could have been interpreted as regret had the emotion belonged to anyone else flashed in his eyes. "Still fresh?" he asked.

I didn't answer. I looked down into my now-empty bowl.

"Are you mute, or something?" he demanded. "What did you not understand of 'I will not hit you'? I don't believe in the efficiency of physical punishment. It doesn't teach a lesson, but teaches to fear. Fear is not respect. It can serve the same purpose, but the two are distinctly different. The point is not to fear, but to be able to retort to someone superior while keeping your dignity."

I forced myself to look up at him, trying my hardest not to squirm in my seat. "No Master," I answered weakly, clearing my throat before continuing. "I don't like to talk about it."

"You should have just told me that before, instead of cowering like a baby. I cannot train you if you are scared of the littlest things. I don't care if you're good with a weapon. The weak get killed faster, and I'm not wasting my time on you only for you to get yourself killed by next week. Understand?" He said gruffly as he leant back in his chair.

I swallowed my fear and made sure to keep my head up as I replied. "Yes Master."

I braced myself for another callous response but all I got was, "Now finish your dinner before I throw it outside."

Without hesitating, I gulped down the food. I'd forgotten just how hungry I was until the smell and taste enveloped me. I was aware of Shalom watching me eat like I hadn't eaten in months, but I didn't care, he'd find something else to chastise me with anyway.

But surprisingly he didn't comment as I placed the empty bowl back down on the table. After ordering me to clean up the dishes and be up before dawn tomorrow (any later and I'd be assigned to the latrines) he left for his room.

I let out a sigh of relief as I heard his door click shut; I was free until tomorrow morning. Realizing I'd only have a few hours' sleep, I rushed to get the dishes cleaned. I was already exhausted before mid-afternoon, and it had been catching up with me ever since.

.oO° ° °Oo.

I leaned over and puked into the bushes. I had been training under Shalom for several months now, but my endurance still hadn't eased up. Running still left me in a sweat and I swayed to the sidelines every morning to throw up my breakfast.

But regardless, I'd continue running straight after. Shalom isn't one to hide his intolerance over tardiness, and I wasn't going to be the one to make it happen. During the months I'd trained, he is beginning to ease up on me a little. But that's only because I'm not making any more mistakes, one slip up and he's back at biting my head off. Usually over the smallest, insignificant things, but I've learnt the hard way not to talk back or refuse my punishments.

But despite the hard, grueling training, I could easily see my improvements. My stamina is getting better, although I still need to work on my running. I have a feeling it's going to take a while before I can run without breaking a sweat and vomiting.

During fighting, both with a weapon and hand to hand, my movements are becoming less jerky and I'm taking the time to read my opponents body language to guess his next move. I still need a lot of practice before I can fight properly, but I'm happy with how far I've come from the start of training.

At last I'd finished my laps, and I bent over by the training yard fences while I managed to get my breathing back to normal. I'd been running laps every morning and night since starting training and each time my lungs still felt like they were on fire.

I was drinking from the water pitcher when I heard Shalom shout my name. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I straightened and turned to face him.

"Yes master?"

"Run an extra lap tonight, you still need to build your stamina up."

I tried not to moan at the thought of running even more, but swallowed my protests, knowing full well it would only get me more laps. "Yes Sir."

"Now get in the yard, you're fighting [name?] today. Remember to slow down and predict his next move before blocking or striking."

"Yes master." He jerked his head towards the group of men waiting in the yard, and I jumped over the fence before hurrying to join them.

I've trained with the same man three times now, and I've become used to his fighting style and his most common move. Distract you with a punch aimed to the face, and as you move your hands to block it, he aims another one to your stomach.

A lot of the soldiers use this move in their fights, or very similar ones. The technique is good; distract your opponent before striking when his guard is down. The method I use when fighting new partners is to begin fighting badly, lulling them into a false sense of security. Once they've began to relax, thinking I'm an easy fight, I strike.

First time he witnessed it, Shalom praised me, well for him it was a compliment. And I've been using the move ever since. I've learnt that fighting is like a card game, keep your best move to your chest, and when it's time go for the kill.

Training with the other soldiers has taught me many things Shalom has failed to mention or didn't know himself. Every strategy, tactic and dirty move used against me, I use in my next fight.

My mind is already filled with so many moves I didn't even know was possible before I started training. I only hope that Shalom continues to train me so I can learn more. My desire to kill the King has grown impossibly more intense, as the better I get, the more I believe in my ability to do it.

The day passed quickly and by the time I crawled into bed late that night my muscles were stiff and painful. Even a hot bath didn't soothe them, so I struggled to find a comfortable position before falling into a restless sleep.

I woke up a few hours later with a mouth that felt like sandpaper. Grudgenly, I pulled myself out of bed knowing I wouldn't settle until I'd had a drink to sooth my throat. I trudged downstairs cautious to make a little sound as possible in case I woke Shalom up.

When the stairs would creek, the sickening sound echoing around the house, I'd freeze for a few seconds waiting painfully to hear any sound from Shalom's room. When there was none, I'd breathe a sigh of relief before continuing down the stairs. Unfortunately I had to repeat this several times but luckily it didn't wake him.

I managed to find my way through the darkness and into the kitchen. The water pitcher is always kept on the counter next to the window, so I used my hands to feel along the counter top until I reached it.

I didn't even bother with a glass as I bent my head underneath and drunk the water greedily. Once my throat was soothed and I couldn't drink anymore, I tip toed my way back to my room. Fortunately the stairs didn't creek too much and there wasn't an angry Shalom waiting for me at the top of the stairs, like I'd feared.

This time I had no trouble going back to sleep and vivid dreams flickered through my mind. The images changed from training sessions, to life back home with my brothers and parents to finally settling on Luna.

_Her harmonious giggles surrounded me and I spun around in the open area but couldn't see her anywhere. _

_"Luna?" This made her laugh louder than before, her giggles echoing off the trees. This didn't make finding her any easier, she could be anywhere. _

_I looked around the trees but still no sign of her, although the trees are big enough for her small body to hide behind and move as I do. If so this game could take hours. _

_"Luna" I dragged out the 'a', hoping I could persuade her to put me out of my misery. Every time we meet up she has a habit of hiding whenever I turn my back on her. Which doesn't happen very often mind you, seeing as it takes hours to find her again. _

_"Come on now, we've only got an hour before I have to take you home for dinner." _

_"It's not my fault it takes you so long to find me," she retorted. It sounded like her soft voice was coming from above me. _

_I looked up and there she was, sitting on the tree branch, with an innocent expression on her pretty face. I wasn't fooled though, for such a pretty little thing, she was the sneakiest person I know, although not as bad as my brothers. I quickly shook that thought away as quickly as it entered my mind. _

_I ran up to the tree trunk and climbed up effortlessly, I'd been climbing trees all through my childhood so it felt like second nature for me. As soon as I reached the branch she was on, she stuck her tongue out at me. _

_I laughed as I made my way across to sit next to her. As I edged my way across she shuffled and leaned further away from me, clearly seeing the mischievous smirk on my face. _

_"Valek…" she warned, as I was only a foot away from her. _

_"You think you're so clever don't you?" I drawled out while still smirking at her. I saw her gulp as she leaned as far as far away from me as she could without falling off. Fear was in her eyes, but she knew I'd never hurt her. She was just worried about what I was going to do to her. _

_She knows I know her weak spot, I know the places on her body that make her squeal and cry with laughter. Her sides was one of them, her knees the other. Basically nearly all of her was ticklish, but I only ever dared touch her in appropriate places._

_She knew I had her cornered as she couldn't move any further without the branch snapping, and I was blocking her only way of getting down the tree as it was too high to jump. _

_"I'm sorry Valek, I promise I won't do it again. Please don't tickle me!" She tried to reason with me but it wouldn't work, I fell for this the first time and she still did it again the next chance she got. _

_I swung my leg around to straddle the branch so I wouldn't fall off, then I placed my right hand on her knee to stop her from falling. I reached up with my free hand and tickled her left side, while she squirmed and laughed uncontrollably. _

_"Val…Valek… please…. I… can't….. no more….. please…. Stop… I won't…. do it ….. again….. if you…. Stop… please….Val….ek…. please…. I …. Can't…. stop…. Please!" _

_"Only if you say that I'm the best and that you love me."_

_"Okay… okay!... Valek your….. the best… and… I love… you!" _

_I stopped, my breath catching in my throat. Even though I forced her to say it, it still sounded amazing coming from her lips. _

_"Say it again." I teased, half expecting her not to. But she did. _

_I couldn't stop myself from slowly leaning towards her, my gaze focused on her lips which were slightly parted. I stopped an inch from her lips, and flicked my eyes up to hers, but they were already closed. Her warm breath exhaled against my mouth and I couldn't wait any longer as I closed the distance between us. My first kiss was far better than I expected. _

_Her lips were soft underneath my own and tasted sweeter than anything I'd ever tasted before. I was certain this was her first kiss, so I didn't want to disappoint her, but didn't want to scare her by being to forward either. _

_When we broke apart, and I waited for her eyes to open, displaying a light sky-coloured blus, before stuttering. "I'm sorry… I.. I hope it wasn't too much?" _

_She smiled sweetly at me, "It was perfect." I couldn't stop the grin threatening to overtake my face. She leaned forward, her hand on my knees, inching upwards as she pressed her lips against mine again._

I bolted upright in bed, my breathing coming out in pants. This wasn't the first time I'd dreamt of Luna, but I'd never imagined that before. The room was starting to get lighter so I knew it was almost dawn so I might as well get up anyway.

As I moved to get out of bed, I felt something wet and sticky in between my legs. I was still groggy from waking up so I thought I was imagining it until I felt it again. Wide awake now, I wondered what it was before darting out the room and across the hall to the bathroom.

This is the first time it's happened, even though my father and brothers awkwardly tried to explain the process of puberty to me before. I was undeniably embarrassed and glad I woke up before Shalom tossed me out of bed. I think I would have died from shame if he had.

After I cleaned up, I rushed back to my room to clean my bed before Shalom found out. However all my hopes were ripped from me as I entered my room and spotted Shalom's big figure standing by my bed.

Hearing me walk in, he turned to face me and I couldn't help but swallow loudly as my legs began to quiver. I tried not to let my fear show, knowing it would only anger him further. But at that point I was far too embarrassed to care. I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.

* * *

**Well? What did you think?**

**Valek is growing up. And just like all boys do, very awkwardly. Don't worry, it'll just get worse from now on. It may be a little over the top, but urges like the ones he is having are part of maturing for a boy so we couldn't just leave them out...**

**Anyway, Harlequin says she's working on Valek's Poison Study and Savin' Me next. Actually, I'm dictating her schedule, because I think she'll get things done faster that way. Either way, it you're following one or both of those stories, expect an update within the next two months, I would say.**

**I'm writing chapter 45 of Unraveling Worlds and it's coming along slowly. The wedding is coming up in this chapter. Then I'm thinking of having a honeymoon in the next one. It may or may not be M-rated-depending on what I feel Yelena's character can handle at that point.**

**Reviews will get us to update faster *hint hint***

**Karl & Harlequin (:**


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